Valve unit for an internal combustion engine and internal combustion engine

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve unit for at least one of influencing and controlling a gas flow in an internal combustion engine comprising at least one valve member for modifying a cross-section of a gas flow-carrying channel through which a fluid flows and a drive train for rotatingly driving the at least one valve member. The drive train comprises an input shaft, which is drivingly coupled to a drive device in the mounted state, and at least one valve member shaft which is non-rotationally connected to the valve member. It is especially advantageous if the drive train comprises at least one phase adjuster for drivingly coupling the input shaft and the valve member shaft, a rotational position of the shafts in relation to each other being adjustable by the phase adjuster.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An internal combustion engine, comprising: at least one gas flow channel; a valve unit configured within the channel, wherein the valve unit at least one of influences and controls a gas flow, wherein the valve unit has at least one valve member for changing a cross-section of the gas flow channel through which a fluid can flow; and a drive train for rotatingly driving the at least one valve member, wherein the drive train has an input shaft and is coupled on an input side to a drive device for rotatingly driving the input shaft, wherein the drive train has at least one valve member shaft, which is rotationally fixedly connected to the valve member, wherein the drive train has at least one phase adjuster for drivingly coupling the input shaft to the valve member shaft, wherein at least one of the phase adjuster and a rotational position of the input shaft relative to the valve member shaft can be varied, wherein the valve unit is arranged in a fresh air path of the internal combustion engine and is configured for adjusting an exhaust gas recirculation rate of an exhaust gas recirculation device, which has a recirculation line connected to the fresh air path, wherein the drive train has an actuatable coupling, which on the input side is rotationally fixedly connected to an input section of the input shaft, which on the output side is rotationally fixedly connected to an output section of the input shaft, which in a coupled state rotationally fixedly connects the two sections of the input shaft to each other, and in a decoupled state, allows rotational movements of the sections of the input shaft relative to each other. 
     
     
       2. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the fresh air system is configured as a double-flow system with two paths through which fluid can flow, wherein the valve unit has two valve members, which each are allocated to one flow for changing the cross-section through which a fluid can flow, wherein each of the two valve members controls the cross-section of one of the respective two paths, and wherein when one valve member minimizes the cross-section through which the fluid can flow, the second valve member maximizes the cross-section through which fluid can flow. 
     
     
       3. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive device is configured for permanently driving the input shaft during the operation of the internal combustion engine. 
     
     
       4. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive device for driving the input shaft is configured with a drive speed, which is proportional to the speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. 
     
     
       5. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the valve unit is arranged upstream of at least one of the gas exchange valve members of the internal combustion engine in the respective channel. 
     
     
       6. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive train has a drive wheel on the input side, which is rotationally fixedly connected to the input shaft, and is coupled to the drive device in the mounted state of the valve unit for rotatingly driving the drive wheel. 
     
     
       7. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one phase adjuster is configured as an addition gearing. 
     
     
       8. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one phase adjuster is configured as a planetary gearing, wherein a sun gear of the planetary gearing is rotationally fixedly connected to one shaft, and planetary gears of the planetary gearing are mounted on a planetary gear carrier which is rotationally fixedly connected to the other shaft or, wherein the one shaft and the other shaft are either the input shaft or the valve member shaft, and wherein an annulus gear of the planetary gearing is fixable and rotatingly actuatable by means of an actuator for adjusting a rotational position of the two shafts. 
     
     
       9. The internal combustion engine according  1 , wherein two valve members are provided which are rotationally fixedly connected to the same valve member shaft, wherein the two valve members are arranged rotated relative to each other on the common valve member shaft. 
     
     
       10. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein a reset spring is allocated to the respective phase adjuster, and wherein the spring drives the respective phase adjuster for adjusting an initial rotational position of the shafts relative to each other. 
     
     
       11. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one sensor, the sensor determines a rotational position of at least one valve member. 
     
     
       12. An internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one channel section in which the respective valve member is arranged in a rotationally adjustable manner and is mounted in the channel. 
     
     
       13. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 1 , wherein the drive train has a drive wheel on the input side, which is rotationally fixedly connected to the input shaft, and is coupled to the drive device in the mounted state of the valve unit for rotatingly driving the drive wheel. 
     
     
       14. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
 at least one gas flow channel; 
 a valve unit configured within the channel, wherein the valve unit at least one of influences and controls a gas flow, wherein the valve unit has at least one valve member for changing a cross-section of the gas flow channel through which a fluid can flow; and 
 a drive train, including at least one input shaft, at least one valve member shaft, at least one phase adjuster and an actuateable coupling, wherein the drive train rotatively drives the at least one valve member, the input shaft is coupled to a drive device on an input side of the input shaft, the valve member shaft is connected in a rotatively fixed manner to the valve member, wherein the phase adjuster drivingly couples the input shaft to the valve member shaft; wherein the actuatable coupling is rotationally fixedly connected to an input section of the input shaft on the input side, and is rotationally fixedly connected to an output section of the input shaft on an output side, and wherein the two sections of the input shaft are rotationally fixedly connected to each other when in a coupled state, and rotational movement of the sections of the input shaft relative to each other is allowed in a decoupled state. 
 
     
     
       15. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 14 , wherein at least one of the phase adjuster and a rotational position of the input shaft relative to the valve member shaft can be varied, and wherein the valve unit is arranged in a fresh air path of the internal combustion engine and is configured for adjusting an exhaust gas recirculation rate of an exhaust gas recirculation device, which has a recirculation line connected to the fresh air path. 
     
     
       16. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 14 , wherein the drive device is configured for permanently driving the input shaft during the operation of the internal combustion engine. 
     
     
       17. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 14 , wherein the drive device for driving the input shaft is configured with a drive speed, which is proportional to the speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. 
     
     
       18. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 14 , wherein the valve unit is arranged upstream of at least one of the gas exchange valve members of the internal combustion engine in the respective channel. 
     
     
       19. An internal combustion engine, comprising:
 at least one gas flow channel; 
 a valve unit configured within the channel, wherein the valve unit at least one of influences and controls a gas flow, wherein the valve unit has at least one valve member for changing a cross-section of the gas flow channel through which a fluid can flow; and 
 a drive train for rotatingly driving the at least one valve member; 
 wherein the drive train has an input shaft and is coupled on an input side to a drive device for rotatingly driving the input shaft; 
 wherein the drive train has at least one valve member shaft, which is rotationally fixedly connected to the valve member; 
 wherein the drive train has at least one phase adjuster for drivingly coupling the input shaft to the valve member shaft; 
 wherein at least one of the phase adjuster and a rotational position of the input shaft relative to the valve member shaft can be varied; 
 wherein the valve unit is arranged in a fresh air path of the internal combustion engine and is configured for adjusting an exhaust gas recirculation rate of an exhaust gas recirculation device, which has a recirculation line connected to the fresh air path; 
 wherein the drive train has an actuatable coupling, which on the input side is rotationally fixedly connected to an input section of the input shaft, which on the output side is rotationally fixedly connected to an output section of the input shaft, which in a coupled state rotationally fixedly connects the two sections of the input shaft to each other, and in a decoupled state, allows rotational movements of the sections of the input shaft relative to each other, 
 wherein two valve members are provided; and 
 wherein the drive train has two separate valve member shafts, which each are rotationally fixedly connected to one of the valve members, and wherein the drive train has an additional phase adjuster for drivingly coupling the two valve member shafts. 
 
     
     
       20. The internal combustion engine according to  claim 19 , wherein the additional phase adjuster is configured as at least one of addition gearing, and planetary gearing, the sun gear of which is rotationally fixedly connected to the one valve member shaft, the planetary gears of which are mounted on a planetary gear carrier which rotationally fixedly connected to the other valve member shaft, and the annulus gear is fixable and rotatingly actuatable by means of an actuator for adjusting a rotational position of the two members relative to each other.